


nothing to lose turns right into you

by talkingtoangxls



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Hi Honey I & II, M/M, i dont Know don't judge me, this is sort of a novelization of hi honey I and II but from jack's pov???, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 13:43:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11670285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkingtoangxls/pseuds/talkingtoangxls
Summary: If he was asked, Jack would admit that he admired Bitty’s stubbornness in this situation, but he also really wished that Bitty wasn’t putting the entire burden on himself.





	nothing to lose turns right into you

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story nor the webcomic that they come from. All rights go to Ngozi. Not affiliated with Ngozi or Check, Please!.

The view is probably Jack’s favorite part of the plane rides.

Flying over Rhode Island at night always gave him a sense of calm. Watching the lights go by beneath him, knowing he was getting closer to home-- it was relaxing.

Tater and Snowy chatted with him, talking about the game and his goal and Snowy’s shutout.

The plane landed, and the moment he could, Jack had his phone in his hand and his bag on his shoulder, making his way to the front of the plane. It buzzed with notifications, mostly texts from the group chat congratulating him and the team on their win.

He unlocked his phone, and the bubbles on the phone app caught his eye. He normally didn’t have that many calls after a two hour flight after a game, and he knew he hadn’t missed any before he got on the plane. He clicked on the app, and saw Bitty had called him enough times to completely fill the log on the screen. He immediately went and listened to the voicemail that Bitty left.

“Hi honey.” A sniffle from the other end. “I… I’m sorry. I know you just finished a game… I saw your goal! It was  _so good._ Nursey spilled his PBR all over Chowder on the replay.” Bitty forced a laugh. “I know you’re probably already on the plane, but you told me to call if I ever… needed you. And I needed to get this out now.

“I guess… Maybe  _hiding_ this has been hard lately. And I know the boys are starting to think something’s up. Everyone’s been giving it one hundred percent at practice and I know I haven’t, which isn’t fair to the boys. I should have each and every one of their backs, but…

“What can I  _say_? And it’s the  _little things_. When I talk about you to other people…”

Jack took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair as he walked to his car, listening intently.

“I hate it. And you  _are_ my friend. But I  _hate_ not being able to say the ‘boy’ part before it… Or maybe it’s my fault for listening to any of the  _garbage_ the media has to say about you.” He takes a shuddering breath on the other side. “They’re  _never_ fair to your team. No one’s  _ever_ fair to you.”

There was a moment of silence, and Jack thought the message had ended until Bitty spoke up again.

“I’m sorry. It’s just been a lot from all sides today.” Another pause. “Oh, my goodness. What am I  _doing_? This could’ve waited and-- What a  _terrible_ message to touch down to. I’m-- Honey. I’m sorr--”

Jack didn’t get to hear the rest of the message as he swiped as quickly as he could to answer the incoming call from Bitty.

“Hey, bud. Is everything alright?”

Bitty scrambled to sound positive with his reply. “Honey, I just left a silly voicemail on your phone, please don’t listen to it.  _Delete it_.”

“ _Wait, what?_ Bits. What’s wrong?”

“...Jack, I… I…” Another moment of silence. “Can we talk?”

Jack shut his door and pushed his dripping hair out of his eyes. “Of course, Bits. What’s wrong?” He was tense, and if he was being honest, he was scared that Bitty was done-- that  _they_ were done.

“...Everyone’s still downstairs… I’m sure Shitty’ll rush up and check on me after they mop up that pie. I just… It’s been so  _hard_ , Jack. Keeping this from the boys. From everyone. And I know… we don’t even have it that bad right now, but… I just hate that I can’t talk about you. I hate that I can’t be proud of you. And--” He hears Bitty welling up on the other line, but he lets him continue when he’s ready. “Sometimes it feels like I’m back in Georgia.”

“Bits...,” Jack cuts in. “This is  _wrong_. You shouldn’t-- We should tell them. Please, so you can have someone to talk to.”

“No!” Bitty sounds defensive, and almost angry, and Jack can tell they’re both surprised by it. “I mean-- No, Jack. I just wanted to tell you how I felt, not--” Bitty cuts himself off and huffs. “I love these boys and they’d do anything to protect you but that’s how it starts. You know they’re not perfect--”

Jack cuts him off, stunned. “Bittle,  _did you hear what you just said?”_

“You’ve worked too hard--” Bitty tries to reason, voice getting louder.

“But Bits! Look at what this is doing to you--” Jack is raising his voice, too.

“I  _know_ but--”

“ _You shouldn’t have to suffer because of my career--”_

_“You can’t give up your whole life for me, Jack!”_

They’re both yelling now, and Jack can hear the emotion in both of their voices.

There’s a long moment of silence on both ends as they both take a moment to cool down. Jack’s free hand is rubbing his eyes, his forehead, down his face, before coming to rest in his hair, keeping it pushed out of his face.

“Jack, I…” Bitty speaks up, then stops.

“No, Bits, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve…” He lets out a sigh, trying to find the words he wants to say. “I never wanted this to be another thing you had to  _worry_ about.”

Bitty sniffles on the other side of the call. “Listen. We’ll get through this. These types of relationships are hard enough… not seeing you. It’s just been a bad week, and… I have to be stronger.”

“ _Bittle_.” If he was asked, Jack would admit that he admired Bitty’s stubbornness in this situation, but he also really wished that Bitty wasn’t putting the entire burden on himself. “  _No._ You don’t.”

Bitty sighs on the other end of the line. “Maybe we should take a little bit to relax and calm down-- come back to it later.”

Jack understood what that meant; “I don’t know if I have the emotional strength to continue this conversation right now.”

“Alright. Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?” Jack asked.

“I don’t think so, honey. I think I might try to get some sleep once I get these clothes in the wash.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Bitty hung up, and Jack dropped his phone into his lap before resting his forehead on his steering wheel. He let Bitty’s words and raised voice wash over him, and it brought all the emotions he had been pushing back to the front of his mind. He let the tears flow freely for a moment, hands trembling as they came up to press into his eyes. He made himself breathe deeply,  _in-two-three-four-five, out-two-three-four-five,_ and sit up, wiping at his face.

His hands were steady as he started his car and headed towards the freeway.

**\\_ . _/**

Jack tried to plan what he was going to say to Bitty when he saw him, but he couldn’t hear himself think over the rain pounding against the pavement and his heart pounding in his chest.

It was 4:45 in the morning by the time Jack walked up the steps to the Haus, glad to take refuge under the awning. He tapped at his phone screen as fast as he could, hoping Bitty would wake up to let him in, and not be mad at him for driving to see him in the middle of the night in the pouring rain; he couldn’t just leave things the way they were after they ended their call.

 _Jack:_  
_Are you asleep?_

 _Jack:_  
_I’m outside._

 _Jack:_  
_Let me in?_

He looked up from his phone the moment he heard the lock turn, and he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Bitty’s shocked face.

“Bits.”

The next thing he knew, he was being dragged inside, called a fool, patted down, talked at.

“Oh my god-- you  _did not_ drive here from the airport-- Jack, it is  _five in the morn_ \-- what if the boys--  _for goodness sake_ \--”

“Bitty,” Jack interrupted. In the dim light coming in through the windows, he could see Bitty’s eyes welling with tears, and he rubbed at his arms. “You’re not doing this by yourself, okay? We’re a team.”

Bitty held Jack’s gaze, trying to keep his chin from trembling. He pulled Jack close, pushing his face against Jack’s shirt, pressing himself against him. Jack held him tight, closing his eyes and kissing the top of his head. Bitty went to pull away, and Jack moved his hands to Bitty’s cheeks, keeping him close for another moment. Bitty brought one of his hands up to cover Jack’s. He brushed Bitty’s tears away with his thumbs before he leaned down to kiss him, something he wanted to do since he last saw him.

Bitty leaned into it for a moment before pulling back, taking Jack’s hand from his face and tugging him towards the stairs.

Jack heard him sniff, and even though Bitty was crying, he knew he made the right decision by driving to Samwell.

“Sweetheart! You’re soaked!”

“...Yeah, had to park up the block…” He laughed quietly. “Kind of like old times, eh? Waking you up early?”

Bitty turned his head to look over his shoulder. “Hm?”

“Checking practice.”

“ _Oh._ Oh lord.” Bitty laughed, and then yawned. They made it to the top of the stairs, and Jack put his hands on Bitty’s hips. “Shh, come on, now…” Bitty covered Jack’s hands with his own. “Let’s get you upstairs… dry you off…”

Jack kept silent about the fact that they were already upstairs. “Thanks, Bits.”

He followed Bitty to his room, and shut the door behind him. Jack shrugged his suit jacket off and hung it over the back of the chair, kicking his shoes off and starting on unbuttoning his shirt next.

“So what’s the plan today?” he asked Bitty.

“Get everyone together for brunch at Jerry’s?” he asked.

Jack nodded, pulling his shirt off and setting it on the edge of the bed. Bitty pulled a hanger out from his closet and hung it on the door before crawling into bed.

He undid his belt and pulled it off, leaving it on the ground by his shoes. He kicked off his pants and stepped out of them, hanging them up to hopefully dry before they woke up.

“Great. I’ll set an alarm then.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling his socks off and tossing them in the general direction of his shoes before grabbing his phone.

“‘Kay.” There was a long pause before Jack heard Bitty whispering from behind him. “...Oh no… Um… Are you sitting on--?”

“I put him in the window.”

“ _Oh!_ " Bitty laughed quietly, relieved. “Watchin’ it rain…”

He slid further under the covers, and once Jack set his alarm he joined him, holding him close to his bare chest.

“I love you,” he said, looking down at Bitty.

Bitty kissed him in reply, and although he didn’t say it back, Jack knew that Bitty loved him too.

“‘Night, honey.”

“‘Night.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave kudos or drop a comment! (I try to reply to all comments!) Please check out some of my other works!
> 
> Title taken from and work inspired by Happens Like That by Granger Smith.
> 
> Please note: this work can be found on other websites such as Quotev under the same screen name (talkingtoangxls), and on my Check, Please! blog (sinbinzimms.tumblr.com).
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story nor the webcomic that they come from. All rights go to Ngozi. Not affiliated with Ngozi or Check, Please!.


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